Grantmaking

We take an equity-centered approach to grantmaking, supporting mission-driven nonprofits in the Bay Area with unrestricted multi-year grants and Beyond the Dollars support. We focus on funding organizations with diverse teams representative of the communities they serve. Our collaborative practice has a ripple effect: Partners’ personal giving approaches are shaped by the best practices they learn at SV2. In addition, as Partners are exposed to local nonprofits doing great work, many choose to personally support organizations they learn about through SV2.

How does it work?

SV2 hosts one Grant Round in the Fall and one in the Spring, each focused on a different topic area. Recent rounds have included Economic Mobility & Inclusion, Education Equity, Environmental Justice, Advancing Immigrant Equity, and Mental Health & Well-being.

Like everything else at SV2, grantmaking is a collaborative effort. The process is led by SV2’s staff, and a team of Donor Partner leaders participates and ultimately votes on which organizations become the new Grantees. Each  Grant Round includes two Donor Partners who serve as the Grant Round Co-Leaders. They help plan the meetings and events, coach participating Donor Partners on performing nonprofit due diligence, and lead the group in discussion and decision-making.

During the four-month process, Donor Partners learn about an issue area, get to know Bay Area nonprofits and other community leaders working in that sector, and participate in a rigorous diligence approach that incorporates equity-centered grantmaking. Following this learning and diligence, Donor Partners select two nonprofits each round to receive unrestricted grants. We attach no strings to our grants because we believe the leaders we choose to support know best how to allocate their funds.

Grant Round Process:

• Open Call & Selection: SV2 issues an open call for nonprofit nominations within the active issue area, typically receiving 50–70 names. From this pool, SV2 staff narrows the list down to five final organizations.
• Landscape Learning: A team of Donor Partners, known as the Landscape Learning Team, acts as a vital bridge between Bay Area community experts and the SV2 Donor Partner network. Working alongside Grant Round Co-Leaders and staff, they guide the collective learning process to ensure funding decisions are grounded in authentic community insights. 
• Meeting #1: SV2 invites community leaders and subject matter experts to share their knowledge and perspectives, preparing Donor Partners to make informed decisions. The five finalist organizations are announced at this Grant Round Kickoff Event.
• Meeting #2: The five finalist organizations introduce themselves and their work to all the Donor Partners participating in that Grant Round, and this also serves as an opportunity for the five finalists to get to know the SV2 community.
• Financial Diligence and Coffee Chats: Donor Partners conduct financial analysis guided by SV2’s staff and established methodology. Small teams of participants also meet with each finalist in virtual “Coffee Chats” that take the place of a written grant proposal, saving potential grantees time and effort and allowing all involved to get to know one another.
• Meeting #3: Donor Partners discuss their learnings from the financial analysis and Coffee Chats.
• Meeting #4: After another round of discussion, Donor Partners who have participated throughout the process vote to select the two Grantees. The other three finalists receive an honorarium.

Organizations seeking grant funding from SV2 should:

• Be a 501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored
• Not have previously received an SV2 three-year grant
• Deliver programs and maintain an executive presence in one of these Bay Area counties: San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and/or Alameda. National organizations must have a local office, an Executive Director/CEO, and a local Board of Directors
• Address the Grant Round Topic issue
• Have an annual budget of $500,000–$4 million